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Today’s highly digital world is a paradise for tech geniuses and digital fanatics. But for the non-techy person, what can this age offer? What does VPN even mean? And why do we need to get the best VPN service?

Let us explore all about this digital area in an easily understood way such that our gramps and grannies can relate.

What is VPN?

VPN stands for virtual private network. Imagine having a tunnel connection from your device to others which allows you to exchange data with them in a secure and anonymous way as if you have a private network that lets you do so. This is what the VPN is.

If you think your home Wi-Fi network is the same as a VPN, think again. Your connection at home can be just as unsafe as public Wi-Fis. You still need to add more security features for your connection to keep hackers and cybercriminals at bay. And this security can be provided by a VPN.

One of the best advantages of VPN is that it provides security, functionality, and strength of a private network. Aside from this, a VPN will provide more advantages which include:

Avoiding censorship blocks

Hiding or masking your IP address

Concealing your location

No logging of browser activity

Accessing streaming sites like Netflix even from other countries

Even with these advantages, why would you need to learn how to hide your IP address and use a VPN service? Take note of these dangers that you are exposed to when you don’t use a VPN.

Any information you send through the internet becomes public.

Almost anyone can see what you’re doing, when and where you do it.

You are quite vulnerable to fraud since hackers and cybercriminals can steal your private information such as passwords and bank account numbers.

Others will know your identity and location and can do whatever they want with the information, such as blackmailing and meeting you.

With this knowledge about VPNs, you are surely going to use it on your connection, especially at home. But you should only use the best ones from the most credible companies.

Learn more about techy stuff the non-techy way and join in on the fun in this digital world by checking out the articles at Oassist. You will surely educate yourself about all things tech, the easy way.

Social media is now a huge part of people’s everyday lives. Most of us are on social media in some way throughout the day. Many people check everything at night before they go to bed and first thing in the morning. Being connected to social media constantly can be very dangerous and it can take a big toll on you. That’s why experts recommend taking a social media break or a digital detox from time to time. That’s not always possible, however. So if you need to be on everything and can’t go off the grid entirely here are a few ways that you can balance social media with the rest of your life:

Only Check Social Media Twice A Day

If someone needs to contact you in an emergency tell them to call or text so that you don’t need to spend the entire day checking your feeds. Make a conscious choice to only check your notifications twice a day, one in the morning and once a night. Consider checking somewhere like Grapevine so that you can access all your info in one swoop. That way you will still be up to date on everything that is going on but you won’t be constantly checking your phone during the day.

Only Check On Your Phone

Get in the habit of only checking your media accounts when you’re on your phone. That way you won’t be distracted all day at work by social media and you won’t spend the entire day on Facebook. I got addicted to using Best Cell Phone Spy Apps and couldn’t stay off of it during the day. When you need to work or focus on something else you can turn off your phone and put it away so that you’re not tempted to constantly look at your social media.

Enjoy The Simple Things

Schedule Your Posts

If you want to stay active on your accounts but you don’t want to be constantly on social media once or twice a week sit down and write up a few posts. Then schedule them to appear at certain times throughout the week. This is a great tactic to use if you are using social media to promote your business or your brand. Scheduling your posts will free up your time to do other things.

Take Rest Breaks

The world will not stop if you don’t check your media accounts every hour. Once a week or so leave your phone off and go do things that aren’t related. You can post photos and videos when you get back. But in order to have interesting things to post on your you need to do things. So at least once a week go do things and stay off social media for a day.

There are certainly great things about social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. But there are plenty of downsides as well. Social media, one of the technological phenomenons of the past decade, has become one of the most commonly used technological innovations. The popularity of these social networks has given them an incredible amount of influence. People everywhere are discovering how fun it is to post about their life and what they are doing and are being inspired by other accounts with interests similar to theirs. But there are dangers, so you need to have time management skills as well.

Social Media Sign

Not Safe for Kids

One of the biggest dangers in using social media is the potential danger it poses to children and teenagers. More and more kids have started using these apps, and are getting smartphones at earlier ages. These apps pose enough problems for adults. Parents should use discretion when deciding whether they will allow their kids to have access to social media on their smartphones, tablets, or computers. In some cases it may be fine, but people could be spying on their text messages.

A Major Distraction

For both children and adults, social media poses a major distraction. It’s causing people’s attention span to continue to decrease, and keeps people distracted from both school and work. If you are using social media, practice putting the phone down in order to concentrate on the things that need to be done. You know that the app will still be there when you finish. Especially when you have strict deadlines for work.

The Comparisons

Another problem of social media is that it invites people to compare themselves with those around them. On apps like Instagram, people are able to follow strangers and see what they are doing with their lives. Their posts can be inspiring, but it can also be a source of discontentment when one sees how much fun other people are having in their lives. This can cause people to start comparing their own life with the lives of others.

Social Media Apps

Predators and Cyber-Bullying

Some of the more intense dangers of social media include cyber-predators and cyber-bullying. The internet has become a new way to meet people, but there is no restriction on who is able to download and use these apps. That means that people with ill-intent are able to log on and interact with your kids and loved ones. That is why it’s so important to place proper boundaries on the use of social media and any app that allows people to connect. Check out my last post about how Bitcoin works.

By now you’ve probably heard about Bitcoin and know that it’s not an actual physical coin. But if it’s not a coin, then what is it? How do you “own” one? Why is it worth money? How do you give it away? This short article contains a brief answer to these questions and how Bitcoin works.

How Does Money Work?

Money only has value because we all agree that it has value. Green pieces of paper with images of dead presidents can only be exchanged for food because we agree to exchange them for food. We could exchange anything else we agree has value.

Cash is convenient since it is lightweight and easily exchangeable. But on the island of Yap, money takes the form of gigantic stone coins the size of statues. No one moves them around – they simply agree on who owns them. When something large and important needs to be purchased, the community agrees that ownership of the “Yapcoin” has been exchanged. People on the island know who owns which Yapcoins. In addition to knowing how Bitcoin works, nerdy people might even know the entire history of all the Yapcoins.

Bitcoin: The Yapcoin Of The Internet

Unlike cash, Bitcoin isn’t a physical form of currency.

Bitcoin works more like Yapcoins than cash. The key difference is that a Bitcoin isn’t a physical object at all. It’s a digital object which doesn’t “exist.” Like on Yap, a Bitcoin is owned by whoever we agree owns it. But unlike on Yap, the Bitcoin’s ownership is recorded in a digital ledger, which is a digital notebook that records Bitcoin exchanges.

On Yap, the history of coin exchanges is stored as knowledge among the community and is distributed. Each family probably knows the history of whichever Yapcoins they own, and maybe whichever ones are also nearby. Like on Yap, the ledger Bitcoin uses is distributed among hundreds or thousands of servers. Copies of the digital ledger exist on several servers throughout the world. You can even download the most recent version if you have enough hard disk space (and patience).

Preventing Dodgy Entries

If you’re an unscrupulous hacker, you might wonder how Bitcoin works and if it’s possible to alter the ledger to give yourself more digital currency. This isn’t possible, in part because each entry in the distributed ledger contains a fingerprint of the entire history which precedes it.

Let’s think about the ledger as a chain of entries that are arranged in order on a line. Each entry contains a special number which serves as its “fingerprint,” along with information about how much money was sent. The crucial point is this: the fingerprint of each entry is computed using the fingerprint of the previous entry as input. Since each entry depends mathematically on the previous entry, any change at any point along the chain will require a change in the fingerprints of all future entries.

If you were diligent, you could download a copy of the ledger and “cook the books” by changing all the required entries in your local copy. But since the distributed ledger is publicly available, your cooked books will be easily detected. No one will agree that your copy of the ledger is correct. It would be like arriving on Yap and claiming that you own a Yapcoin that everyone knows belongs to a local fisherman.

Blockchain is a complicated technology, and there are many details which are not present in this simplified explanation. I hope that I’ve given you enough insight into blockchain for you to understand how Bitcoin works. It’s just a number in a ledger, which has been copied to many, many locations, in order to make it very difficult to “cook the books.”

In the information age, everyone feels like they’re a professional photographer just because they have an Instagram and 100 people who like their pictures. The truth is, having a smartphone camera in your pocket, people to share your work with, and good photo editing apps have made people better at taking photos. In addition, there are even apps they can use to run a cell phone lookup no matter where they are. The problem, not everyone has the right training or drive to be a better photographer.

Still, using the right app is one of the best ways to reach your smartphone camera’s full potential. Even professional photographers edit almost all of their photos. All editing does is draw out a photo’s potential with light, color, and other enhancements to make it look as good as possible. That’s why I decided to list some of the best photo apps you can download on your smartphone. They’re available in the App Store, but many of them can even be used for editing photos off of a DSLR.

Top Apps For Photo Editing

Snapseed

The best way to make your Galaxy or iPhone’s pictures look amazing is with an app. A free one like Snapseed does the trick just fine. Snapseed takes full advantage of the touchscreen on your smartphone, so most of the editing is done by sliding your finger up or down to select a function. You can also slide left or right to adjust the amount/intensity of each setting.

My favorite way to edit photos on Snapseed is to use the HDR function, which livens them up. Then I mess with the shadows and highlights, maybe the ambiance, and I’m done. The biggest advantage of Snapseed is that it’s fast, yet still does a great job for both smartphone and DSLR photos.

Lightroom

Lightroom is what most professional photographers use to edit photos on the computer. The good news is that there’s an app available for smartphones as well. If you want to get started using Lightroom, using the app is a great way to do that. So you can edit your photos, do a cell phone lookup, and more, no matter what device you’re on.

VSCO

Not only is VSCO a popular photosharing platform, but it’s also one of the best apps out there for editing photos. What many people like about VSCO are the filters they can use. Although you can’t include “#nofilter” in your post after you use one, they’re still incredibly handy.

Instagram

Instagram is one of the most popular platforms for sharing photos.

While Instagram functions mainly as a social media platform, it’s also a great way for people to edit their photos. It has fairly simple and straightforward functions, but they’re the best way to learn. Instagram allows users to edit their photo’s shadows, highlights, and warmth, along with several other components. There are also a lot of good filters that you can play around with.

To become a professional photographer, you need a professional camera (usually a DSLR) and will probably need to take some classes. But to start editing photos and learn how to bring out the best in the pictures you take, you just need to use these apps! You might even want to grab a friend and practice shooting photos. Before you meet someone for a photoshoot, though, do a cell phone lookup to make sure it’s really them!

It’s the holiday season, which means that everyone is shopping online for fantastic bargains and great deals. Some retailers had more people shopping online than in stores this year. But more people shopping online means that there are more chances to get your information stolen. So how can you shop safely online while keeping data protection in mind? You can’t risk having your identity or credit card information stolen. According to financial experts, these tips will help you make sure that your information is safe while you’re searching the Internet for amazing deals.

Watch Your Apps

There are a huge number of discount apps that claim to collect the best deals from popular websites, then put them in one place for you. But not all of those apps are safe. Some are scams, and some just don’t have the necessary security for data protection if you process your credit card information through the app. One way to prevent this is to shop through the retailer’s website instead of the app when you find a deal. Another way to prevent getting your information stolen is to only download apps that are in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Don’t use apps that you can’t download from these trusted, reputable sites.

Don’t Click On Email Links

Visit the retailer’s site to complete your purchase.

Phishers are always getting better. You might receive an email that looks exactly like one you’d get from one of your favorite stores. But when you click on the link in the email, it might be fraudulent. So if you don’t recognize the sender, don’t click on any links or special offers in emails. Instead, go right to the retailer’s website by typing the address directly into your browser. You can still access legitimate deals that way without leaving yourself open to phishing.

Don’t Save Your Credit Card Information

It’s a pain to be constantly typing your credit card into different sites, isn’t it? But it’s a hassle that really helps with data protection. It’s tempting to save your payment method on your favorite store’s site, making it easier and faster to shop. But if that site is hacked, your personal and credit card information could be stolen. That’s why it’s much better to just manually type in your card number each time. Major retailers like Target are frequently dealing with data protection issues, because they keep getting hit by scammers trying to steal customer and financial information. Don’t put yourself at risk.

Use Gift Cards

If you’re really worried about protecting your financial information when you’re shopping online, you should get a prepaid Visa or American Express gift card. You can preload funds on the cards and use them to shop safely online. Because these cards have no line of credit, they limit any potential damage if someone steals your card number.

Have you ever thought about the link between technology and your relationship? It goes deeper than you may think. While some media outlets may argue that tech can destroy relationships, I think the opposite. In fact, in many ways, technology has helped people connect with others on a meaningful level, more than ever before. Here’s how it could actually improve your relationship.

Easier To Make Plans

With texting and messaging apps, you can make plans in a matter of minutes. Smartphones let you conveniently send a quick text to your significant other while you’re in line at the supermarket or getting your hair done. And if you both happen to be free at the same time? You can meet up and grab dinner. Meanwhile, if your communication was limited to regular (or even scheduled) phone calls, these kind of spontaneous plans might not happen. So, it’s not necessarily true that people who spend more time online are complete shut-ins.

Stay Connected When Distance Separates You

Maybe you have to attend a family reunion over the weekend, or your significant other has to embark on a week-long business trip. The truth is, when it comes to technology and your relationship, you can stay connected whenever you want. Talking to each other throughout the day over text can make you both feel like you’re right there beside each other. So, handling any kind of long distance situation becomes much easier.

Better Communication Skills

Like everything else, technology is what you make of it. And so is social media. Because it’s meant to bring people together, you can use it to improve your communication skills with your partner. Do you feel like you withdraw too much from them at times? You can use these tools at your fingertips to make an effort to text your SO more often. This first step can create better communication habits.

Keep Track Of Important Dates

Use a digital calendar to stay on top of important dates.

No one wants to be that guy who forgot their anniversary with their partner. If you’re one of those people who simply can’t keep track of dates, then the calendar app on your smartphone is your best friend. You can use it to remind you about your SO’s birthday, as well as other plans you have in the future. This way, you’ll never have to disappoint your partner by forgetting an important holiday or planned trip.

As you may know, I purchased my first smartphone about ten years ago. I never could have predicted how much I’d depend on it each day. Recently, I came across an interesting article about how Gossip Girl seemed to predict how we now interact with technology and social media. That was one of my favorite shows when I was in middle and high school. What was so unique about it at the time was how the Internet pretty much invaded the personal lives of the main characters. Their secrets and relationships would be revealed on Gossip Girl’s blog throughout the series. Nowadays, this doesn’t seem so scandalous because of how connected we are to the Internet and each other. So, how have we become more dependent on technology over the years?

We Need To Be Connected 24/7

Do you remember what it’s like to hear complete silence and read a book without any distracting notifications? I couldn’t until I started making a conscious effort to turn my phone off. Like many other people, I feel the need to be connected to everyone 24/7. Rarely do I put my phone on silence, because what if I don’t answer that text or email right away? It’s hard to disconnect when people expect us to get back to them at all times. I can’t even imagine what it’d be like to go camping for several days without any reception.

Shopping Addictions Are More Common

The Internet has made shopping addictions much more common.

Shopping addictions aren’t new – just look at Mrs. Lincoln back in the 1800’s. The difference is that we now have devices that let us make purchases in a matter of minutes. We can buy virtually anything in just a few clicks. Plus, when you aren’t paying in cold, hard cash, it’s a little more difficult to grasp just how much you’re spending. Shopping addictions are a very real problem that have made us even more dependent on technology.

We Have Major FOMO

In one of my favorite episodes of Broad City, “Hashtag FOMO,” Abbi and Ilana spend a night in search of the perfect party because they don’t want to miss out on something phenomenal. I think a lot of us can relate to this mindset – we might enjoy what we’re doing, but what if there’s something else out there that’s even better? FOMO (fear of missing out) becomes second-nature when we’re all constantly seeing how other people live their lives.

Now that we know we’re dependent on technology, we need to figure out what to do about it. Personally, I try to turn my phone off at least an hour before I go to sleep. This lets me decompress from my day and leaves me time for my other hobbies, like reading. Find out what works for you!